Wellpoints



June 10, 1958 J. ALLMENDINGIER ETAL 2,838,120

WELLPOINTS Filed Oct- 29. 1953 y I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 By ad AT fRA/E YUnite WELLPOINTS Application Gctoher 29, 1953, Serial No. 388,996

` z claims. (ci. 16e- 157) This invention relates to improvements inwell points, and has for a prime object, the provision of a well pointof the self-jetting type, adapted to jet into soils, or ores, coal andother substances by water under pressure, thereby gradually forming ahole to contain the well point and its cooperating elements, and whensunk the desired depth, adapted to withdraw water from said soils orores, coal and other substances preparatory to performing excavating orother operations.

Another object of the invention is the provision, in well pointapparatus, of a well point having a form of soil piercing means whichconstitutes a unitarystructure including valve means anda seat inaddition to means for maintaining said valve means to said seat.

Other obiects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to` thoseskilled in the art upon a study of this specication and the accompanyingdrawings.

Referring to the` drawings: v

Figure 1 is a vertical elevation partly in section showing my new andimproved well-point carrying improved means for piercing soilscontaining gravel and boulders, deposits of ores, coal and othersubstances', soclceted Vin the means for piercing the soil, the formerbeing detachably carried by the latter; l

Figure 2 is an elevation similar to that shown in Figure l except thatthe device is turned through an angle of 90 with respect to the plane ofFigure 1, and both the screen and the lter arrangement is partly brokenaway to show its structure;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional elevation of our earth piercing unitdetached from the pipe unit, and without .the improved piercing ymeansmounted thereon;

lFigure 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 1showing further details of the structure of the screen and filter;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of and turnedthrough an angle of 90 with respect to the plane of Figure 1 and showingthe means for detachably securing our improved piercing means for soilsimpregnated with roots, gravel, boulders, ores and other substances;

Figure 6 is a sectional elevation of our improved piercing means;

Figure 7 is an elevation of the same; and

Figure 8 is a bottom View of said improved piercing means.

Referring rst to Figures 1 and 2, the well point is comprised of aseries of units, namely, a head 10, a strainei unit 11, a pipe unit 12and an earth. piercing unit 13. Y p

The unit lil comprises a head and coupling and it has a threaded passage15 therein to receive thethreaded end of the pipe unit 12 to which theearth piercing unit 13 of the well point is to be attached.Communicating with the threaded passage 15 is second threaded passage14, larger in diameter than the passage 15. The threaded passage 15 alsocommunicates with a third passage 16,

tes Patent portion 47 is inserted as is shown in Figure l. '30 (whichhas previously been` withdrawn) is passed rice which is larger indiameter than the passage 15 an thereby a shoulder 17 is formedtherebetween.

The passage 16 is tapered inwardly toward said shoulder for an importantpurpose to be presently described.

The unit 13, Figure 3, constitutes the earth piercing element. It isgenerally tubular in form, and it has a tapered hole or socket 1S whichterminates in a shoulder 19. A hole 2d, smaller in diameter than thehole 13, is internally threaded at 21 preferably with a size and pitchwhich is identical with the threads in the passage 15. Concentric withthe ho-le 241 is counterbored hole 22 which communicates with a smallerhole 23 extending through an internal ledge 25. A passage 26 extendsinto the unit 13 from the lower end 27 thereof to a shoulder 28 which isthe lower surface of the ledge 25.

A valve seat 24 is formed between the hole 23 and the shoulder 2S. Aball 29, which is usually formed of wood or the like with a rubber outersurface is adapted to' seat on the valve surface 24 and thereby isolatethe interior of the passage 26 from the interior of the pipe unit 12.Normally the ball 29 is maintained in the upper portion of the passage26 by means of a pin 30 which passes through aligned holes 31 and 32(Figure 5). The lower end of the earth piercing element 13 is providedwith a series of teeth 33 with clearance spaces 34 therebetween.

The element 11 is comprised of a series of spaced longitudinallyextending arcuate ribs 36 with a series of arcuate webs 37 therebetween,said webs being provided with elongated transverse slots 3S. y

The ends of the unit 11 are tapered, as shown at 42 and 43, Figure l.Extending through the screen assembly is the pipe unit 12 which has aseries of holes 45 formed therein. Each end of this pipe is threaded andwhen the well point is assembled the lower end of this pipe engages thethreads 21 formed in the unit 13 and the upper end engages threads 15formed in the head 1l). As the head is screwed down the tapered ends 42and 43 are forced into the tapered holes 16 and 1S, respectively,thereby forming a iluid tight seal between the strainer unit 11 and theunits 10 and 13.

The new and improved wellpoint is devised so that the unit 13 may form asocket into which the jetting plug or piercing tool for soilsimpregnated with gravel, roots, boulders or other substances may bemounted. This tool is generally designated by the numeral 46 and isshown in detail in Figures 5, 6 and 7. In this description this tool ishereinafter referred to as a tool for gravel, etc. The tool includes aportion 47 of a diameter to form a working tit in the passage 26 of theunit 13 of Figure 1.

The tool 46 has a portion 48 where its diameter is greatest and this issubstantially the same diameter as the outer diameter of the unit 13.Formed integral with the portion 48 is a portion 47 which is smaller indiam eter thereby forming a shoulderV 49 therebetween, and the teeth 33on the unit 13 form stops to limit the depth of insertion of the shankportion 47 into the passage 26 with which it forms a working tit. Withinthe shank portion are spaced substantially parallel passages 51 and 52and these passages are separated by a central web 50 which extends abovethe shank portion 47 to a point designated by the numeral 53. A crosshole 54 is formed in the upper portion of the web 50 and this hole is ofa diameter to accommodate the pin 39 which in the unit 13 normallyfunctions to retain the ball valve 29 in a pre-determined portion of theunit 13, when the shank The pin through the holes 31, 54, and 32, afterthe hole 54 has been brought into alignment with the two other holes byrotating the tool 46. When the pin 30 is passed 3 through the holes 31,54 and 32, in the order named or vice versa the upper end 53 of the tool46 forms a stop for retaining the ball valve 29 in the vicinity of thevalve seat 24.

The separator web 50 extends substantially below the lower ends 55 and56 of the tapered portion 57 of the tool 46 and terminates in a point orapex 58. Spaced apart from the apex 58 the web S0 has a second crosshole59 formed therein which provides communication between the passages 51and 52. Below the tips 55 and 56 of the tapered portion 57, the web 50lies on a central plane of the tool 46, Figure 6, and terminates in anapex or point 58. Spaced apart from the apex 58, the web 50 has a secondcross-hole 59 formed therein substantially parallel to and spaced apartfrom the cross-hole 54 and below the tips 55 and 56 of the taperedportion 57, the web 50 is narrowed to form a somewhat triangular portion60 in a plane on the body 90 from the axis of the tool as shown inFigure 6. This apex may best be seen in Figure 7 and the tool 46, inFigures 6 and 7, is preferably formed of a material which is sucientlyhard and tough to stand the Wear and tear imposed by causing it topierce gravel, roots and boulders.

Operation In using the well point for withdrawing water from the soil orother substances, a suitable riser pipe (not shown) is connected to thecoupling or head 10 at the top of the well point by engaging the threadsin the hole 14. The well point and riser pipe assembly is placed in anupright position with the lower end of the well point unit 13, Figure 3,or 46, Figure l, just at or in contact with the soil and jetting waterunder pressure is then passed through the pipe, and the well pointthereby rooting out an advancing cavity ahead of the Well point andallowing the latter to sink into the soil until the well point unit haspenetrated the soil to theV desired depth. This jetting operation formsa hole in the soil Y for the well point unit and it also washes out thesurrour1d. ing soil to facilitate sinking of the well point into thehole thus formed.

When the desired depth has been reached, the upper end of the riser pipeconnected to the well point is disconnected from the source of waterpressure applied and reconnected by means of a swing joint connection(not shown) to a header pipe which in turn is connected to a suitablesuction pump for pumping water from the soil or other substances throughthe well point and the pipes connected thereto.

Since any water in the unit 13 causes the ball valve 29 like isprevented from passing into the well point, the i connecting pipe andthe pump. In cases where the soil is impregnated with gravel and roots,boulders or other hard substances, the tool 46 is mounted in the wellpoint by removing the pin 30, making sure that the ball valve 29 remainswithin the element 13 and then the tool 46 is inserted and rotated to apoint where the holes 54 are in alignment with the holes which formerlycontained the pin 30. Following this, the pin 30 is driven into thealigned holes and thereafter it conjointly holds the tool 46 in positionwithin the element 13 and at the same time it functions to hold Vthebali in the proper relation to its seat, due to the contact of the upperend 53 of the tool 46 with the ball.

When the tool 46 is socketed in the tool 13 and is retained thereinbythe pin 3d, the valve seat 24 and the ball valve 29 or" the unit .t3function as the valve and seat of the tool 46. .ietting water passingdown through the 4 well point is delivered from the unit 13 intopassages 51 and 52 and this water passes out through the lower ends ofthese passages in the vicinity of the points 55 and 56 to elect thejetting of the device into the ground until it has reached a desireddepth.

Although the new and improved well point is herein shown and described,and an arrangement for using the jetting head on the lower end thereofas a support for a second tool particularly adapted to traverse boulderimpregnated soils, gravel, roots, ores, coal and other substances, it isto be understood that many changes may be made in the arrangements shownand described within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:V

l. In a wellpoint, a tubular upper head having stepped sockets therein,one of said sockets being tapered toward one end thereof, a second ofsaid sockets being also nternally threaded and tapered toward the otherend, and a third non-threaded and tapered socket adjacent to said lastmentioned socket, 'a lower head member having stepped sockets therein,the uppermost socket in said lower head also being non-threaded andtapered and facing said third socket in said upper head, a second socketin said lower head adjacent to said non-threaded socket and havingthreads tapering towards said upper head; a tubular screen assemblycomprised of an outer, perforate screen member, a mesh tubular screenWithin and embraced by the lower end of said sleeve member, an innertubular member substantially concentric with said sleeve member landsaid screen and having a series of longitudinal ribs with laterallyslotted channels therebetween and forming a unitary structure; athreaded pipe extending through said screen member in spaced apartparallel concentric relation to and engaging said second threaded socketin said upper head and the threads of the second mentioned socket insaid lower head, for forcing the extremities of said screen member intotight engagement with the respective non-threaded tapered sockets as thelatter are pulled toward each other by said threads when said head isrotated, a fluid passage extending through said lower head to saidstepped passages and communicating the lower end of the wellpoint withthe interior of said pipe, holes in said pipe providing communicationbetween the interior of the pipe and the interior of the screen, and anupwardly closing valve controlling said fluid passage.

2. The invention according to claim 1, in which a cross-pin extendsacross said fluid passage and normally functions to limit the movementof said valve in an opening direction, a piercing member having a bodyof stepped diameters with a shoulder formed therebetween, a portion ofone diameter being socketed in said fluid passage, after said cross-pinhas been removed and replaced in a manner to extend through a matchingcross-hole in said portion of one diameter and retain said piercingmember thereon, said shoulder being adapted to abut the lower and activeend of said lower head, a piercing point on said piercing member belowsaid shoulder, and a plurality of fluid passages in said piercing membersubstantially parallel to the axis thereof for leading fluid from theinterior of said second head to said point.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS100,609 Dickerson Mar. 8, 1870 1,854,517 Layne Apr. 19, 1932 1,963,629Mark June 19, 1934 v2,028,447 Grin a Jan. 21, 1936 2,035,313 Grifn Mar.24, 1936 2,149,874 Stang Mar. 7, 1939

